noob with cloudy water

[swimmerfred]

ok, working on it. been keeping it => 15ppm. Does it matter whether I use the powdered shock or liquid bleach - or more directly - is one more succeptible to burn off from the sun? I'm told that during the day it may burn off, but also that I am not supposed to use my solar cover because the elevated levels of chlorine could ruin it. Is the buffered shock more likely to keep FC levels elevated during the day? or doesn't it matter. Many thanks by the way.

[Watermom]

I'd use the liquid bleach. It won't contribute to clouding the water. High chlorine levels can damage a solar cover so you are correct in not keeping the pool covered while you are shocking.

[BigDave]

In the water, given a fixed CYA, one form of chlorine is no more or less susceptible to the sun than another. They all are.
Some powdered chlorine (dichlor) contains stabilizer and will increase your CYA level (increasing your sun protection and your required FC level for shock and normal operation). Dichlor will also lower your pH.
You reported a pH of 7.1 on 8/29; this is near the bottom of the scale, my K-2006 pH scale only goes to 7.0 in 0.2 increments, was the color between 7.0 and 7.2? If your pH is still that low (or lower if you're using dichlor), I'd recommend that you add some Borax to bring it up to the 7.4-7.6 range. Start with a couple cups, give it time to dissolve and circulate and test again. Add more if needed.
Are you still using trichlor? Trichlor will also drop your pH.
The other widely available powdered chlorine source is Calcium Hypochlorite which is just like bleach (and liquid chlorine - same thing as bleach) when it comes to the sun.